“Huh,” my dad says when Kat tells him. “I would have never guessed, but that’s the point, isn’t it? You blend right in.”
“No kidding,” Kat says. “I grew up with Jo, and I never had a clue. She was just fun, sweet, crazy Jo.”
I scrunch my face, embarrassed, but my dad smiles. “I bet. Sounds like—”
Boom.
The house rocks, every plank crying out its creaky song. Plaster rains from the ceiling, and a few pictures clatter to the floor. I put my hand over my heart, as if that will steady it, and wait for the world to stop swaying. The house hasn’t fallen yet, but there’s a first time for everything. Kat uncovers her head. “What the hell was that?”
Better find out, I write.
“We’re going to investigate.” Kat opens the door. “We’ll see you later, Mr. Johnson.”
He waves. “Hope to see you soon.”
When Kat and I get down to the kitchen, everything is out of order, but that’s not what has my mouth hanging open. Three women stand there, brushing themselves off as if they’ve come in from a rainstorm. They all have long golden hair, braided and looped intricately, and wardrobes that look either hippyish or medieval peasantish.
The Crafts. Nana must have asked them to come fast, because they usually use the front door.
Maggie turns, her big eyes lighting up. “Jojo!” she squeals as she careens into me. “This is all so crazy! I don’t know how in the world you deal with so much and you can still smile and everything!”
I forgot how fast and incoherent she gets when she’s nervous. Or excited. Or hopped up on caffeine. Last time she was here, she got ahold of one Dr Pepper and, wow. She ended up raiding our newt-tail supply and used it to toilet paper all of Main Street. Nana was not happy, but at least she had the foresight to get our house, too, so no one blamed us.
“What’s the bad news Nana Dottie is writing cryptic messages about?” Maggie continues. “Mom and Auntie keep giving each other weird looks. You know, the ones where they know more than you do but they don’t know if they should tell you?” She shoots them a glare. “I really hate when they do that.”
She’s never going to be quiet. It’s hard enough to stop her when I have a voice.
“It’s been so long since I’ve seen you and it’s so disgusting that you’re prettier than—”
Kat clears her throat, and finally Maggie notices her. “So you’re a witch, too, Maggie? I feel kind of stupid for missing that one.”
Maggie smiles. “Hey, Kat. Long time no see. Are you having fun learning about magic? I heard all about the binding.”
“It’s been interesting so far, and not that long since I’ve seen you. A year maybe?”
Since Maggie visits often, my friends know her. They think she’s my cousin, which is kind of true. Close as I’ll ever get.
Maggie points back to her family, who eye Kat warily. “This is my mom and auntie. Gran stayed behind to man the house and watch Molly, my baby sis, who is the cutest little girl ever. You should see—”
“Mags.” Her aunt steps forward, and immediately the air quiets from her authoritative presence. “We’re here to get information, not give it.” She appraises Kat in a way that makes me want to protect her. “So you are the one who received the binding?”
Kat tries to stand tall, but that’s not much when you’re five foot nothing. “Yes.”
“I’m Prudence.” She holds out her graceful hand, and Kat takes it. “You have a lot to learn.”
“I know.”
Prudence scowls. “Good. And this is my younger sister, Tessa.”
Tessa’s smile is warm, just like Maggie’s. “Welcome to our world, dear.”
“Thanks.” Kat nods in my direction. “Also, you might want to know Jo can’t talk right now.”
They all give me a surprised look, so I motion for them to follow me to Nana, who already has the picture rehung and waiting. She fills the Crafts in on the situation, and they stare at the image in horror. Even Maggie’s perma-smile has faded. “Are you certain you’ve never heard of such things?” Nana asks.
“Positive,” Tessa says. “That is . . .”
“An abomination,” Prudence says. “If a witch did this, she should be publicly punished.”
“While it makes sense that a witch would be behind this, we have no proof that one is. Carmina could have crossed paths with one of these evil men during her travels. I don’t know. I’m afraid we have nothing to go on, and I’m not sure it’s wise to alert any other families of our situation,” Nana says.
Tessa nods. “With the threat so close, how can you know which way to go?”
“You thought you were doing a good thing cleansing Josephine’s father,” Prudence adds. “And it almost cost you everything.”
Nana sits in her chair, looking lost. I walk over and hug her. Her brow furrows. “What is it, dear?”
Kat clears her throat. “We went and asked Joseph more questions. Turns out he knew where that picture came from. He said one of Carmina’s roommates probably took it—Stacia Black.”
Tessa and Prudence gasp at the name, clearly familiar with whoever Stacia is. Which makes sense, considering they were my mom’s closest friends.
Nana hugs me. “Of course! You darling girl.”
Tessa smiles. “Stacia was so kind—definitely not your average Black witch. She and Carmina became really close. If anyone else knows more about Carmina’s life, what might have happened, and who performed the Curse, it’d be her.”
Prudence folds her arms. “I haven’t seen her in years, though. I think Carmina mentioned a long time ago that Stacia was pregnant. Seems they lost touch after that—she wasn’t at the funeral.”
Kat, Maggie, and I lap up the information. This is all news to me. “If they were close, why wouldn’t Stacia go?” Maggie asks.
Tessa shrugs. “It’s easy to lose contact after you have a child—I remember how very protective I was of you, Maggie. I didn’t take you from the house for years—not until you were four or five.”
Nana nods. “If Stacia did have a daughter, she wouldn’t have risked taking her to the funeral of a witch who died from the Curse. We have to find her now. It might be a stretch to think she has any answers, but . . .”
“She’s your only hope,” Kat says, as if reading my mind.
Nana’s eyes are dark, so sad that they don’t reflect light. “Exactly.”
SIXTEEN
I don’t bother going to school Friday or the following Monday. I can play the sick card until my voice comes back, and Nana needs my help fortifying barriers and tracking down Stacia Black. That, and Maggie needs supervision. I love the Crafts, but I’m sure Tessa and Prudence left her behind to “help” so they could get some peace and quiet back in New York.
“So there’s this boy at the community center in the town an hour from our place, and he’s the cutest guy in the whole wide world, but every time I think he’s going to ask me out he swipes my pass and says, ‘Have a great workout.’ What’s that supposed to mean anyway?” She dips her quill into the potion and continues writing. “At least you kind of live in a town—I’m in the freaking middle of nowhere. This is the closest interaction I’ve ever had with a boy.”
The Crafts’ house is in upstate New York, where the forest is so thick it’s suffocating. But the magic there is rich and vibrant, like the leaves in the fall. The first time I visited their place, my head wouldn’t stop spinning because it was so different from our land.
“I just want a boyfriend, you know? They tell us we’re responsible for preserving the bloodline, and then they refuse to let us date! What the crap?” Maggie is home-schooled, which might be why she can’t get enough of being around new people.